Overhead Door of Tacoma Blog

Matt Nyman

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Noisy Garage Doors

Posted by Matt Nyman on Wed, Feb 26, 2014 @ 01:15 PM

Does your garage door make squeaking noises? Clunking noises? Grinding noises?

Garage doors have a lot of metal to metal contact and can create some horrible noises. Some of the easiest ones to deal with are squeaky hinges. The hinges love both types of lubricant we use. There is the Overhead Door brand, thin set, goes on without much goo hanging around. Then there is the silicone based lubricant, this leaves a little more of a film behind.

The next noise we listed was a clunking noise. This noise really needs to be looked at by a professional. There could be broken hinges, misaligned track, worn rollers, bad cables...the list can go on and on. You don't want a larger problem later on down the road, so unless you have an easy fix like a broken hinge, the sooner it gets looked at the better.

The last noise listed can be hard to hear but lead to bad results. There are some sort of bearings on every door. They can be be pulley bearings, shaftline bearings or roller bearings. The grinding usually means the part needs to be replaced, it is past the point of just being lubricated. We have seen spring shaftlines cut in half from a bearing wearing out and refusing to spin as it should.

If you hear funny noises coming from your garage door, it's the largest moving object in your house, it may be a good idea to have a service technician check everything out. Mom and Dad always said 'better safe than sorry'. 

Topics: Lubrcating, Noisy Squeaky Bearings

Garage Door Cables

Posted by Matt Nyman on Mon, Feb 24, 2014 @ 02:37 PM

Are the cables worn on your older garage door?

One of the most crucial parts of your overhead acting garage door are the cables. Cables are made up of many smaller strands of cable wound together to help in the process of lifting your garage door. The cable is attached from the bottom fixture to the drums on the shaftline. They are behind the vertical track that is attached to the wall with track brackets.

Take a flashlight and look between the door and track. What you will look for are frays or larger strands that are broken loose from the main body of the cable. If you do see a problem with your cables, call a door professional immediately-do not delay.

You do not want a broken cable with your vehicle stuck inside, plus the extra damage that your track may sustain. Garage door service technicians don't like broken cables, sixteen foot wide doors can be tough to wrestle with! The bigger the door, the harder to work on sometimes.

You should look when the door is closed and always be careful of the cables, they are under extreme tension.

A safe smooth rolling garage door is what you want.